Hailee Steinfeld in talks for Ender’s Game

December 2, 2011 - By Liam Goodwin

According to Variety Hailee Steinfeld, who this year received an Oscar nomination for her performance in True Grit, is in talks to join the cast of Ender’s Game. Earlier this weekHugo actor Asa Butterfield was confirmed to play Ender Wiggin, a gifted young gamer skilled in strategy and logistics, now Steinfeld will play Petra Arkanianthe who quickly becomes Ender’s ally and trusted right hand.

Ender’s Game is an adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s 1985 sci-fi novel and is set in Earth’s future, where an imperiled humankind have barely survived two conflicts with the Formics (an insectoid alien species also known as the “Buggers”). These aliens show an ant-like group behavior, and are very protective of their leader, much like Earth ants protecting their queen.

In preparation for an anticipated third invasion, an international fleet maintains a school to find and train future fleet commanders. The world’s most talented children, including the novel’s protagonist, Ender Wiggin, are taken at a very young age to a training center known as the Battle School. There, teachers train them in the arts of war through increasingly difficult games including ones undertaken in zero gravity in the Battle Room where Ender’s tactical genius is revealed.

Hailee Steinfeld just missed out on playing the lead in The Hunger Games to Jennifer Lawrence, but now she’s joined another a teen sci-fi movie with franchise potential, so it’s not all bad.

Summit Entertainment has set a March 15, 2013 release date for Ender’s Game which will be directed by Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek) are producing.